An Unfortunate Tale
by DC Chroma
Summary: Of a 16 year old girl whose body turned into a five year old's. She then meets a 17 year old boy who and eventually takes her in unknowing about her condition. (Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft or the Mob Talker Characters) (Warning: Contains language not suitable for younger readers.) (I N H I A T U S)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

 _Flashback:_

 _"Wha-what happened to me?!" a young girl exclaimed as she found herself covered by clothes that were far too big for her to wear, "Hohohohoh~!" she heard a very young woman laughing, "How does it feel to be five again, Stella?" she looked towards the voice, snarling trying to be scary, only for it to come out cute, "Turn me back to normal!" the young girl now known as Stella demanded, flinging the sleeves around._

 _"Hm... I can't do that." she heard the woman say, "Not until I find my one true love, cause you, you're a naughty little shit." she said tauntingly however Stella only smirked, "Cursing in front of a child, how mature." she retorted with sarcasm dripping in her tone, "Now listen here, little girl, I'll keep you like that so you won't take away my chances of finding my one true love!" the woman said with anger at the start, "You bitch! You'd keep me like this anyways!" Stella swore with fury in her eyes, "Exactly, you won't be able to hurt me anyways, not with that cute and tiny body of yours~ and little girls like you shouldn't curse like that~!"_

 _The woman began pointing at her dangerously close to her face and~, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" the woman exclaimed as Stella bit her finger, "That's it, you'll die now!" the woman exclaimed as purple glowing orbs began to appear out of thin air, every single orbs crackling with unstable energy as it loomed ominously over Stella, fear took over her as she beelines her way to the nearest exit of the abandoned building they were in, leaving the big clothes behind and luckily for her, she was magically given a white dress to compensate._

 _The orbs flew very quickly and narrowly missed Stella, taking a few locks of her long hair in the process, "I need to get out of here!" she thought to herself as she tries to head towards the street, the sky was very dark due to night time in full effect, not even the moon's light would shine through the alleyway she was in, "You're not escaping!" she heard her pursuer and tried to ran even faster but with her new body, she would stumble and almost fall, tears threaten to escape her eyes._

 _"Almost there!" she said as a few of the tears fell down, her life flashing before her very eyes as she knew the orbs were about to hit her. When she finally took a step on the street's side walk she closed her eyes and fell as she heard the explosions. A few moments passed as she opened her eyes, acknowledging she didn't feel anything. She looked back up and saw somebody in between her and the alleyway. This is happening in the middle of the night, where everyone but a few were sound asleep in their own homes._

 _Her pursuer saw the unknown figure snarling at her, "Crap! I'm not prepared to fight something like that!" she thought to herself as she ran back to the shadows, disappearing in sight, "Are you alright?" Stella heard a soft and concerned voice of a male as she saw the shadow, and when the moon's light finally reached the shadow's face, she saw a very young man whom she doesn't recognize, "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" she heard him say._

 _She continued to look at him, taking note of his appearance, he had raven black hair, she would assume to be black or dark brown eyes, and he wore a pair of black framed glasses, "This sounds so much like a fairy tale..." Stella thought, trying to find out what to do, "Where's your home, little lady?" she then heard him ask as she thought things through, "As much as I want to tell him that I do have a home but, I was kicked out of my apartment room because I kept on 'forgetting' to pay my rent."_

 _"N-no, I don't have one..." she tried to sound as scared and lonely as possible, "Oh dear... but I can't just leave you out here..." she then heard him say, sounding like he's having a dilemma, "How about you come with me and find somebody to adopt you?" he suggested to her as she gasp mentally, being very perceptive, to the point she can see intentions and emotions, she have never heard or saw anybody who have so much selflessness, "T-thank you!" she said as she continued and hugged his left leg to make it even more convincing._

 _"Alright." he said with a smile, "Come on follow me." he added as Stella followed surprised he hasn't held his hands out for her to grab, "He's an odd one, as far as I've read, people would normally hold a child's hand when they guide them." Stella thought as she continued to follow him, "Will I get a papa and a mama?" she asked trying to keep her facade, "Yes, yes you will." he said with a reassuring smile._

 _End of Flashback:_

* * *

 _"How did I end up with him?!"_ Stella felt dread coiling around her bandaged body as she's still with the young man, _"The day after that he left me at an orphanage and I was adopted, only for me to find out the married couple were abusive! I ran away and found myself face to face with him, again!"_ she thought to herself as she saw the young man muttering angrily, "Hello? Hello?! Is this the Golden Birch Orphanage? No, I'm not calling to adopt a child; I'm here to report of the recent adoption!"

She saw that he was wearing a pair of black framed glasses, dark green t-shirt, black slacks, and a shark-tooth necklace. To which she found odd as they were nowhere close to sea to be able to buy the necklace in this region, so she assumed that he hailed far to the east where the sea was abundant.

"The child who was adopted ran away and I found her with bruises and scratches!" he said as Stella tried to know the other half of the conversation, "What am I implying? I'm implying the married couple who adopted Stella, is a child abusing pair!" he shouted as Stella was a bit touched that a stranger that he didn't know that much besides his name would go to such lengths just to give her justice, "Serious accusations? You're defending the perpetrators instead of the victim? Why I oughta... Just because she is just a kid doesn't mean that she's insignificant!"

Stella then saw that a smirk grew on his face, "Ah, I assume you're his boss?" he said through the phone, "Well the problem here is about the recent adoption of a child named, Stella Aracia, who is under this very orphanage was abused by her adoptive parents." he said as a grim feature crept on his face, worrying Stella a bit, "Really? Those parents are from a long line of warriors? Well screw 'em bud, tell them that for me!" he said as she knew the person on the other side of the phone gasp.

"What's my name? It's Chrome Leonardo Donovan! Make sure the message is sent!" he hanged up as he found the nearest chair and sat down, sighing and wiping his face with his hand slowly, "I shouldn't have left you in that orphanage..." he said feeling a bit tired, "Chrome?" she said as she already knew that he cooled down a bit, trying to push herself up to sit down, "Hm?" he looked towards her, "Oh, no, no! Don't you dare get up, young lady!"

"Lie down, and take a much needed rest." he continued as he placed the back of his hand on her forehead, "At least you didn't get a fever from your wounds." he sighed as he placed his chair near her and sat down, but heard a tiny grumbling noise as Chrome looked at her with an amused smirk, Stella blushed embarrassed even more so when he began chuckling, "You haven't had breakfast yet... Well, wait here while I make your breakfast. Hope you like pancakes."

He stated as the only answer he heard was her grumbling tummy and blushing face, _"Odd..."_ he thought as he continued into the kitchen getting ready to cook, _"I think, I'm better off with him..."_ she thought considering the possibilities. She then looked at Chrome who was busy making the pancakes he mentioned. Due to them being in an apartment, there were no walls to hide him inside the kitchen. The scent wafted around the entire apartment room making her stomach grumble even more.

"Alright, alright, just stay right there." he said as he placed the stack of pancakes on the dining table, Chrome walked closer to her and then picks her up gently, _"Wh-wh-what are you doing?!"_ Stella screamed in her mind as she was flailing about, "Whoa, whoa, calm down. You're still hurt!" he said trying to calm her down but to no avail she kept on flailing about, "I said stop!" he shouted loud enough that it shocked Stella, surprise evident on her face, "There."

He placed her down on a sit and placed the stack of pancakes in front of her, a few seconds past as the shocked expression turned into a hungry one as she immediately took the fork and stabbed it in the pancakes. She began eating with a fast pace as Chrome resorted to just drinking milk and toasted bread. Chrome was reading the newspaper's classified ads, looking for a job that he'll be able to provide for himself and Stella, if she ever wanted to stay with him.

"How about we both have a walk in the park? Today's weather is lovely today, and the temperature is quite alright..." he started grabbing the hungry girl's attention who was just about a quarter away to an empty plate, "We might even be able to find you a parent who cares for you and is kind." he continued once he saw Stella paying full attention, "What do you say?" he asked as she swallowed the food in her mouth, a few seconds later she looked away with a hmph, "I guess that's a no."

 _"I can't afford to so trusting, if he really does care for me, he'll be able to put up with this facade."_ Stella thought, as she saw him sigh, "I need to go look for a job, I trust you well enough that I can leave you here alone." he said as he stood up, "Huh?!" Stella exclaimed in shock, "You're leaving me here alone?!" she said eliciting a sigh from Chrome once more, "I can't afford to get you a baby sitter, budget is already tight enough as it is." he said as Stella was now conflicted.

On one hand, she doesn't trust Chrome well enough to even join him outside, and on the other hand, if she were to stay alone in his place, that 'witch' might find and track her here... she wouldn't be able to fend for herself. She pondered about her choice, "C-c-can I come with you?" she asked as cutely as possible, _"I'll give him a chance!"_ she thought as Chrome placed his right hand on her head, "Alright, however, I'll need to buy you shoes and new clothes..." he checked his wallet containing 25,000 gilt, _"I can only spend at most, 20k on her..."_

He sweat dropped but smiled nonetheless, "Alright, let's go to the shopping center first." he said as he went closer to Stella, "I'll need to carry you until I get you some shoes, after that I'll let you walk." with that he took the plates and empty glasses on the sink basin, opening the tap and let the water fill the basin. Once that was finished he took his backpack slinging it on his shoulders as he carries Stella who this time didn't flail around. Once they were out of the apartment room, he closed and locked the door, pulling the handle, double checking to see if it was truly locked.

When they were going down the apartment block, they received stares as Stella paid no heed to them, however, Chrome on the other hand paid attention to how were they looking. To say the least he got annoyed when he saw two young women whispering to each other while looking at him, "Stella, for now I can only buy you three pairs of clothes and a pair of shoes, is that alright to you?" he asked and was hoping for her to say yes but he sweat dropped upon noticing she was shaking her head left and right, "Is is that hard to satisfy you?"

He then saw her nod yes, "Well, if that happens, we'll run out of tasty snacks and meals if I were to buy you more than I mentioned." he stated, "Also, we will be kicked out of the house as soon as I can't pay the rent." he said which made Stella widen her eyes, not because of the realization of what he said, but how he said it. He wasn't threatening her; he wasn't making her feel guilty. He said it like it was just facts that can be read on a book. She began to shake her head left and right as quickly as possible, "Is that an 'alright, I give up'?" he asked raising a left brow, he received an answer by vigorous nodding, and with that they finally reached the streets and headed towards the shopping mall.

Chrome looked around trying to see any help wanted posters or hiring posters, to which he haven't found any yet. They've reach the park's entrance and when he stepped two more times, a ball infused with magic went straight towards Chrome who didn't notice, however, Stella did, "Watc-" she was cut off when she was too late, as the ball hit him on the head. The impact caused his head to abruptly and quickly tilt to the right, Stella was about to call out his name but was shocked, "Ouch!"

He held his head, "That stings!" he exclaimed as he looked at the ball and threw it back, she heard him mumbling something horrible pitching arms as she giggled, surprisingly glad that he was okay, "Will you stay with me?" she then snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at Chrome, with her situation she could just find another person to take care of her, though it'll be difficult considering what she first experienced with the warrior couple who adopted her.

Was there anybody else willing to take her in, her friends of course, but she didn't want to know what they can do to her, the mere thought of it already made her cross it out from the list possible caregivers, she can't think of anything else so why not stick with him? She nodded to which elicits a gentle smile on his face, "Alright, we're almost at our destination and your dress is slightly climbing up your body." he stated to which Stella looked down and saw that her upper thighs is already bare.

She blushed as Chrome raised both his brows now, _"Huh? Something's telling me that she's not a regular kid."_ he thought to himself as he placed her down first and dusting her clothes, after that he carried her once more, now making sure her dress won't start climbing, "And here we are." he said as Stella saw the same shopping center she have been visiting for the last couple of years, however, now that she's in a five year old's perspective, everything looked gigantic.

"Haven't seen a place like this before?" he asked seeing Stella's wide eyes, though she didn't answer because she was still deep in thought, "Let's get you a pair of shoes first." he said snapping Stella out of her thoughts, they've went to the children's apparel store, looking for the footwear section. They finally find the section and began browsing the wide array of girl's footwear; Stella however was fixated with one particular pair of shoes. She was fixated to the point that when they passed by it, she would still look at it.

Stella tugged on Chrome's clothes to which he looked, he then followed her gaze and saw a gray doll shoes, "You want that pair?" he asked as he waits for a reaction, however, Stella was just fixated on that one pair of shoes, _"Stella, answer you idiot!"_ she thought to herself, "Well, aren't you adorable." he giggled as Stella sighed mentally, glad that she has all her concentration on a pair of shoes and not blushing from his compliment, "Alright, now for your clothes." he said as he took the shoes and placed it in the shopping basket.

Chrome thought they would take their time in buying clothes but no, Stella did the same thing with the shoes, to which he chuckled, seeing she only wants three pairs of identical clothing, he discovered that she's a simple girl and thus wants simple things. Chrome bought her the necessities and went towards the changing room soon after, so that Stella can wear her new clothes now. She now wore a gray vest and gray shorts alongside her new gray doll shoes.

"Much better now?" he asked as he placed the shopping bag in his backpack, now holding hands with Stella whom is already in terms with it. They were now heading towards the exit of the mall only for them to encounter a group of men with ski masks on, "What the?!" Chrome exclaimed as one of them forcefully took Stella from his grasp, "Give her back, you fuck boy!" he swore as he went after them, slowly gaining on them, upon closer inspection one of them was carrying a large duffel bag, _"Robbers AND kidnappers?!"_

They ran on the side walk, the robbers pushing anybody to the side, Chrome noticed this and basically took advantage. Giving him leeway was a big mistake as he's gaining distance between them even faster. One of the robbers saw that Chrome was and indeed getting closer to them decided to warn his comrades, "There's a punk, hot on our heels!" he shouted, "Then shoot him!" one of them, possibly the leader said as they indeed so, channeling electricity or fire on the tips of their fingers.

They then began shooting streams of energy or fire at him, to which he responds by dodging the electricity and taking the flames head on, losing a slight amount of distance and the process, however this difference in distance made his task a whole lot difficult as they locked themselves in an abandoned building, "Damn it!" he swore as he tried to bust through the doors down only to noticed it was magically enforced, as of the rest of the building, "Pussies!"

He shouted loud enough to mock the robbers inside the building, however, they didn't react, "Tch!" he looked around trying to see how he can get inside, _"The roof."_ he thought as his hand quickly turned into claws and began climbing the building with enough speed that in a minute, he's already on the roof of the building. His claws returning back to normal hands and he saw a door on the roof, seeing this as a sign of entering the building he rushed forward and body slammed it, his skin developing into a leathery hide of a rhinoceros.

With this action he managed to destroy the door and body slammed one of the robbers, _"They weren't quick enough to magically enforce everything in this building."_ Chrome though as he can taste sweet victory, however it can only happen if he doesn't get caught. He's entire skin turned back to normal and became transparent as his entire body blends to his surroundings. In this world, magic is everything, a part of life, everyone can attain and use magic at the age of eight.

Just like breathing air, mana goes in and out of our body, resupplying the mana gate with new and alive mana and getting rid of the used up mana. The used up mana then floats towards inanimate objects to absorb the sunlight or moonlight, restoring itself back to normal, and with this cycle it now allows wizards, humans who utilizes magics, to change the mana's properties and turn it into powerful spells. Wizards with enough mana pool and control can even bend their surroundings to their will.

Now there are two types of magic in this world, the active and the inactive magic. Active magic are spells, where they use mana to turn it into another element, it is the most common type of magic. Inactive magic on the other hand are very rare in humans, and it contradicts the essence of mana as it goes in but never comes out. Instead mana incorporates itself in the host's body, becoming a part of the host, the mana particles survive just the same as cells in the host's body.

Which means they can turn their body parts into powerful elements, however, changing body parts into beast's is a special case, to which scientists have not yet to figure out, _"Just stay strong, Stella."_ Chrome thought as he went down the stairs but only for him to bump one of the robbers, "What? There's something here!" the robber whom Chrome bumped into exclaimed, "Shoot 'em!" one of the robbers replied immediately as Chrome swore in his head, "Crap!"

* * *

 _"I got kidnapped..."_ Stella thought to herself, head hung low, _"Why me?!"_ she despaired tears threatening to drop, _"Why am I so unfortunate?!"_ she asked herself once more, _"Screw this, I got to get out of here!'_ she thought as she closed her eyes and decided to tap into her mana gate, she immediately opened her eyes, it was there! Now she only needs to summon her bow and arrows, she closed her eyes once more. An explosion then occurred as she opened her eyes, noticing one particular thing.

She grew big! (lenny face), Literally thought, she turned back to normal, however her clothes didn't and, well, her clothing had a hard time as the zipper went up, exposing her cleavage and her toned stomach, her shorts became even more short, she basically look like an exhibitionist, "Eep!" she tried to cover her chest as best as she could, when she finally took the time to look at her surroundings he saw the robbers guarding him were knocked out thanks to the explosion.

However, the rest wasn't knocked out, "Our hostage is free!' one of them shouted, "Capture her!" another said as the robbers made lewd faces underneath their ski masks, "Perverts!" she shouted as she looked for her bow and arrow and found it, she immediately took both and started shooting the robbers with electric arrows, with deadly and frightening precision, knocking all of them out, she sighed, _"What am I gonna do with this?! I can't just go running around like this!"_

She thought to herself, she sighed, _"I need to get out first."_ she thought as she made her bow and arrows disappear, and then with a poof, her body went back to a five year old's, "Huh?" she said as she felt relieved, her clothes no longer tight around the chest and hips, _"I better go out. What? Its lock!"_ she tried to open the door, closely inspecting it, she saw it was magically reinforced as well. With a heavy sigh she decided to climb up the stairs, see if she can find a way to get out.

She then heard lighting strikes and smelled burning wood as she rushed upwards, once she reached where the sound and smell came from, which was the second floor, she ducked immediately seeing a body fly towards her, "Eep!" she exclaimed dodged the body which was falling down the stairs, _"What's going on, who's doing this?!"_ she thought as she wants to find out, "Where is she?!" she heard a familiar voice, "Chrome?" she asked to no one in particular as she saw him mauling every enemy in sight.

It was terrifying to her, was he doing this because of her or was he doing this because he enjoys it? "She must be at the first floor." she heard him say as he began walking towards the stairs, only to stop and notice herself, "There you are, you're safe!" he began as he dashed towards her and in a blink of an eye, he was there, hugging her close, "Are you alright? Did they do anything horrible to you?" he said as she slowly shook her head left and right, saying she was fine.

She was slowly processing what she is witnessing from start to finish, "Alright, let's go back home." he said as he carried her, slowly walking up the stairs, she looked and saw all the robbers in an unconscious state, did he really just beat them all up just for her, she felt warmness bubble inside of her and she couldn't help but smile, _"He truly cares for me, someone that he doesn't even know."_ she thought to herself as she then hugged his neck tighter unbeknownst to her elicits a gentle smile from him.

"Is your decision, final? Will you stay with me?" he said which made Stella hug his neck tighter, "Careful, careful, you might choke me to death." he said chuckling, he felt her grip loosen a bit but still tight enough that she wouldn't get dragged away again.

 **End of Chapter** **1**

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I know, I know I did say I wouldn't do any more Minecraft Stories, but that's subjected to change with three major factors: Reviews, Inspiration, and Motivation. FYI, stems out to one another as if I don't get reviews, I would lose inspiration to think of ideas, and I would lose motivation to write those ideas in the story. So, I'll be relieved if I can at least read what you all think about this new story of mine.**

 **Well anyways, have a pleasant Day/Night!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Heart of Gold**

"Hm?" Chrome opened his eyes to see his dark apartment room, the only light existing in the room is the moon's light, he sat up from his couch, swinging his legs to the side and placed his feet on the floor, rubbing his eyes to wake up a bit. He stood up and went towards the kitchen to get a glass of water, he took a pitcher out of the fridge and poured in water until the glass is halfway full, drinking it slowly so the pain from his throat calms down. He then decided to check up on Stella.

He went towards his room and opened the door to see Stella sleeping still, however, she looks like she's sweating a lot and is wriggling around, "Stella? Are you alright?" his tone laced with worry as he rushes to her side, "Stella, wake up!" he gently shakes her as she immediately awakes, sitting up straight, cold sweat dripping down her forehead, she immediately looked to her right and hugged the nearest and friendliest object she could find, which was him, "Are you alright?" Chrome asked as he brushes her long hair, trying to soothe her, "You had a nightmare?" he asked as he saw her nod with a hum, "It's alright..."

"Can you go sleep again?" he asked as he let go to see Stella's eyes glisten with tears, along with that she shook her head, "Alright, hold my hand, I'll sleep on a chair besides you." he stated as he took his gaming chair and placed it besides the queen size bed. He didn't want to do anything to overwhelm her so he did the best thing and slept on the couch, however, with her in this state, he's having second thoughts about his decision. He then held out his right hand to Stella as she took it with her right hand... Well tried to take it.

Chrome noticed this then grinned gently, as he decides to help her, and closed his hand around her small hands, "Now go to sleep, okay?" he said with a smile, however, it wasn't noticed when he saw Stella already asleep, "Have a good night." he whispered as he also closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Stella woke up when the light shining down on her face got unbearable. She opened his eyes and tried to rub her eyes using her left hand, rubbing away the sleepiness and then she tried to pull her arm to her and saw it wasn't budging, "Huh?" her eyes adjusted to the light and saw Chrome sleeping on a gaming chair besides her, _"W-w-what is this?!"_ she thought to herself as she saw him holding her hands, she thought of the reason and memories from last night flooded her head.

She had a nightmare about her clan dying from the fire a pyromancer caused. She knew it wasn't a nightmare, she wished it was but its reality. Her clan was known as the greatest archers and gunners in the entire world, shots that were so accurate that their only limit is the factors they don't have control of, such as people's actions, weather, luck, and even events that they wouldn't have thought of unless they can see the future. However, there are more branches of them in the world.

That's why she can still see her kin walking around the city, albeit they were strangers to her. She missed her family but she couldn't do anything about it now, she just decides to go on and live to the fullest. Remembering her family always gives her a heavy feeling in the heart and a sour taste in her mouth. She then saw Chrome began to stir and opened his eyes, "Well good morning, Stella!" he greeted as he yawns, covering his mouth in the process, "Want some pancakes today? Or maybe some waffles?"

He started as he heard her stomach grumble at the mention of food, "Alright, time to get up. We'll eat before we take a shower." he said as he stood up and stretched, his joints cracking from inactivity, _"Wait... We?!"_ she thought as she blushed profusely, _"No, no... Snap out of it, I think he just means I'll take a shower first... Wait... is he gonna give me one... No~"_ she passed out after imagining it. A few minutes had passed as Chrome looked back in his room, "Stella, breakfast is ready!"

He then saw Stella asleep again, "Hm... Odd." he stated as he went to check up on her, he then took out a small container from one of his drawers. He opened up the container then waves it side to side fairly near her nose. The scent was really strong for Chrome as he pulled his top a bit to cover his nose, the scent was picked up by Stella and immediately covered her nose as it's too strong, "Glad you're awake again, come on. Breakfast is ready." he said as he covered the small container once more and left the room.

Stella then followed suit after her, motivated by hunger and the urge to sate her hunger. She completely forgot about what she thought before passing out in the process, "Here you go." Chrome placed a plate of two medium sized waffles in front of her, each having a cube of butter on top of it and with chocolate syrup this time around, "After we finish our morning rituals. We'll head on over to a clinic, get you checked up if you have any problems with your body, _"The only problem I have with my body is I'm missing a pair."_

She thought and huffed to herself as she looked down on her chest; she then looked back up and continued eating her breakfast. Once they were done with their breakfast and placed the plates in the sink, Chrome started with, "Alright time for you to take a shower!" he said as he held his nose, "H-hey!" Stella was a bit offended and exclaimed, "Alright, let's get you cleaned up!" he stated as they went to the bathroom, "Stay right there, I'll get you a towel." he said as he left Stella in the bathroom.

 _"Is he really gonna give me a bath?!"_ she thought and a few seconds later he came back with a two towels in hand, "Alright, let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

 _"Why is my blush not going down?!"_ Stella shouted to herself as she's all squeaky clean, with a fresh set of clothes, "Ugh..." Chrome groaned as he pours water into his eyes, getting rid of the soap that's relentlessly stinging his eyes, Stella notices this; she felt bad for some reason and decided to tug on his pants. Chrome stopped trying and closed his right eye, which is still stinging from pain, "What is it?" he asked as Stella looks up to him, "I'm sorry..." she apologized, her gaze slowly glancing back down to the floor.

"It's alright." he said as he pats her head, "Let me finish taking a shower and we can go out." he then ushers her out of the bathroom to which she willingly obliged. She heard him lock the door and she could presume he began taking a shower. Once he finished showering and putting on a fresh set of clothes, they went out of the apartment room, locking and checking to see if it's locked, "Where are we going?" Stella asked as she held hands with Chrome (More like, Chrome holding her hands).

"We'll be going to a see a doctor, have you checked up." he said as they continued to walk, "Don't worry, I know a nice doctor." he said with a smile as Stella was busy in her head, _"If I can get a magic doctor to check up on me, I'll probably be turned back to normal."_ she thought as she let Chrome lead her. A minute of walking later and the pair now stood in front of a small building, "Virtuous' Apothecary & Clinic" she read out loud which snagged Chrome's attention.

"You can read? That's very good!" he stated as he rubbed her head with his free hand, "Alright, let's go in." he said as he lead her through the door, the interior is just the same as the exterior, however it's more sanitary and clean, "Um, hello. I would like to have a number." Chrome said as soon as he reaches the front desk, "Alright, here you are, young man." the secretary a female at that gave him his number, "Thank you." he stated with a gentle bow which amused the secretary.

"Come on, Stella." he ushered Stella to which she followed suit. The duo sat down at the nearest chair available, this small clinic only has a few customers but those that knew this place, knows that you'll be cured no matter what. Stella looked around the place, seeing pictures a pair of a lovely mother-daughter pair, the woman hugging her daughter near to take a picture, "Stella, they are a pair from the Magic Clan." she heard him say, "They are very powerful with magic."

"However, because of that, they're only powerful in their field of expertise." he explained to her, _"I already know about that!"_ she thought to herself as she nodded. They sat in relatively comfortable silence; the only noise heard were crying children who wants something or infants who seeks affection. After a few minutes, the duo's number was now in screen as he ushers Stella to come along. Once they were inside the doctor's office, Stella heard Chrome greet the doctor.

"Howdy there, Dr. Faith." he said with a wave of his hand, "Oh, Chrome. It's so good to see you again. At least you still remember to call me by my first name." the doctor giggled, she had a rich brown hair which were tied behind her back, but Chrome knows her hair is split from the middle and joins at the end, and pink eyes which seems to radiate patience and maturity, "And who might this little girl be?" Faith added along as she bends down to look at the girl more closely.

"Her name's Stella." Chrome answered as something struck Faith, hearing the name found it odd, "What's her family name?" she asked, "Aracia." he simply answered, _"She looks familiar, somehow."_ Faith thought but shook her head and stood up, "Is she here to get a check-up?" she asked as she saw Chrome nodding, "Alright, kindly carry her to the examination table and we'll start from there." Chrome nodded upon the statement and lifted Stella up, and then she was placed down gently on the table.

The doctor then appeared with a small case of tools and began examining for anything wrong, "Um, Doc. Can you also check her mana gate?" Chrome asked as Faith removed the stethoscope from her ears, "What is her age?" she asked, "She's five, doc." Chrome answered, "Why do you want me to check on her mana gate? It shouldn't be active until she turned eight." Faith said getting even more suspicious of Chrome and gave him a stare that a mother would give to scold a child.

"Um... Er... How should I put this... Um... Let's say... I, um... Find her... What's the word? Um... Attitude towards me... odd?" Chrome explained as best as he could from the pressure Faith was giving him, as evident of his constant sweating that he tried too hard, "Hm..." Faith scrutinized Chrome's eyes as he looks away, unnerved and scared, _"Alright..."_ Faith mentally sighed, "Alright, I'll check her mana gate during the weekends, when this clinic are closed."

"Alright, thank you." Chrome said as he bowed lightly, making Faith chuckle, "Still haven't lost that habit of yours?" she asked as Chrome answered with a nod, "Alright, Stella, let's continue examining you." she was about to continue but heard her beloved yet annoying daughter calling out to her, "Hm?" Chrome, "Is that an assistance of yours, doc?" he asked, "Um... No..." she answered which shocked Chrome, _"Eh? She lost her professionalism!"_ he thought as Faith's daughter busted through the back door, "Mom!"

"Mommy is really busy right now, Grace!" Faith stated as Chrome saw the two bicker, _"What the... The pictures the doc had around the waiting room looks about a year old!"_ Chrome thought as he was looking at a fifteen year old teenager, who looks very similar to her mother, even with the same hair style, however, the end of her tied hair is at her front. Stella looked at Chrome, who in turned looked at her, a giant yet invisible question mark appearing on top of their heads, however Chrome had an additional exclamation mark.

"Ah, this is perfect!" the sibling duo looked at Faith as she exclaimed all of a sudden, "Chrome, after I finish checking up on your little sister, what do you think about doing a favor for me?" she stated looking expectantly at him, Chrome however tilted his head in deep obliviousness and confusion, however, Stella knows that look all too well. She puffed up her cheeks and glared at Chrome, "Huh?" he looked at Stella and two more question marks appeared over his head.

* * *

"I can't believe my mother would let a stranger accompany me outside!" Grace said as she walked on the paved sidewalks of the streets, and behind her is the two sibling duo that was just sweat dropping, _"Does she stop talking?"_ Stella thought, annoyed, "Ugh... How did you get to know my mother, anyways?" they heard Grace ask as she had her hands behind her head, they saw her looking at Chrome in particular, "I met Dr. Faith a year ago, I supposed. I was heavily bruised and injured because of an accident that happened after I got into a bar fight."

"Bar fight? I didn't take you to be that kind of guy..." Grace trailed off with a cheeky smile and a suggestive tone which made Stella grow tickmarks, _"Wait... Why am I mad?!"_ she thought to herself as she shook her head, "Huh." Grace saw this and found it odd, "Um, well no, I don't drink any alcohol at all. I served the customers' orders in that old job of mine, though I had better jobs after that." he stated which piqued her curiosity, "You were only two years older than me and yet you're working already?! What happened to your parents?"

"Oh, they died." Chrome answered, "Oh, um... Sorry..." both girls looked down on the floor, hearing the answer, "You don't have to worry about it. You too, Stella." he said as he took her hand and pulled her gently along, while also bumping Grace intentionally but then saw that Grace wasn't budging, "Hm..." this made Chrome angry and thus went closer to her, "Now listen here, missy. If you have the time to feel bad about others, you should use that time in doing something productive! Instead of standing there acting like a statue."

Chrome said this as he pinches her cheek, "Ow, ow, ow! Stop it!" Grace lashed out to him as she slapped his hand away, blushing from anger and embarrassment from being pinched like a little kid, "There we go, something productive; protecting yourself." Chrome smiled, Grace saw this and her blush intensified, "Ow!" he exclaimed and saw Stella pinching his leg, "Oh, you want to go already?" he asked as he squats and sat down on his heels, "Yes." Stella said.

"Alright, let's go you two... Why am I babysitting you, Grace?" Chrome directed to Grace who angered her, "I am not being baby sat!" she shouted at him, which had his eyes closed and his ears covered, "For a tomato, you sure are loud." Chrome stated as he walks again, Stella giggled and followed suit, "I am not a tomato!" Grace said rushing up to them, "Now listen here, you just don't... embarrass... a girl..." Grace continued to trail off as for whatever reason; she felt the atmosphere become tense.

Grace observed as Stella was hiding behind Chrome, and the latter trying to hide her, "Where is the child?" Grace then heard a gruff voice belonging to a man, "The child? Be more specific, why don't ya?" Chrome answered with a steely tone, "Do not act dumb, I know you have Stella Aracia with you. And our master and mistress still have the contract from the orphanage." Grace heard the same man, "And where's this contract?" he asked as the man pulled out a scroll.

"Here." and with proof the man showed it in front of him, "It says in the very contract, that the child must be taken care of and loved. I didn't see any of that when I found her on the streets again." Chrome said, venom pouring out from the last sentence, "The mistress took care of her... The master on the other hand trained her." Chrome heard the reason as several tick marks appeared on his head, "Really now? That means she was only given half the love the contract mentioned."

"This is a breach in the contract, Chrome." the man said venom pouring from saying his name, "So is the treatment of this child. I'm sorry, it was a mistake to send her to the orphanage, and I will not let her back to your master's hands." Chrome said as he ushers Stella to go with Grace, "Get out of here." he said, "I'm sorry you think of that." the man said as he raised his hands, and then lowered it towards Chrome's direction, "Attack!" he commanded, "Go! Run! Find the police!"

Chrome shouted as Grace nodded and dragged Stella along, "You won't get pass me!" he declared and a warrior went past him, "Get back here you punks!" the warrior who passed by shouted, "You can't run-" the warrior was cut out as his head smashed to the floor. The warriors saw that Chrome was the reason, mouth agape as they didn't even saw the teenager move, "I said... YOU WON'T GET PASSED ME!" Chrome shouted with vigor and rage as he looked towards the group of warriors in front of him.

Chrome's eyes twitch and the glint from his eyes changed, he was now completely determined to fight back.

* * *

"Come on, Stella!" Grace ushered as they ran as fast as they could, they knew Chrome wouldn't be able hold them off for long, "Gotcha!" one of the warriors cut them off and grabbed them both by the wrist, "Let me go!" Grace exclaimed as he threw a blinding splash potion at him, to which the warrior acted accordingly and started panicking, "Take this!" Grace exclaimed as raised her left hand, which contains a harming potion and slapped it against the warrior who got knocked out.

"Let's hurry!" Grace said as she ushered Stella, who had a bemused look, _"She can knock people out with that?!"_ she exclaimed in her head as she was dragged by Grace who looked behind and saw a few more appearing from the corner, two of the warriors checking up on their friend while several more were chasing after them, "Let's hide here!" Grace said as they disappeared into the bustling crowd of the street market. The warriors followed suit and once they were at the entrance, the two girls disappeared in sight.

"Where are they?" one of the warriors said as they passed by a clothing shop, to which if you looked closely, a small silver-gray eyes were poking out, "Are they gone?" Grace asked as Stella looked at her and nodded, "Alright, let's hurry and find the police." she said as Stella nodded once more, exiting the store and went to the opposite direction from where the warriors came from, "Hey, guys! There they are!" Grace and Stella heard one of the warriors and flinch, "Run!"

Grace stated as they did so, they ran for about five seconds at most until Grace bumps into somebody, "Are you alright?" the person who she bumped said, Grace rubbed her rear and then looked to see a police man, "Officer, help! A friend of mine is fending off a group of warriors; he's trying really hard to keep them at bay so this child and I can get away!" Grace said as clear as possible from all the adrenaline, "Alright state where he is currently." the police man said, "At the park!"

"Attention all nearby officers, we have a code 54 at the park. I repeat we have a code 54 at the park, get to there at once, over." the police man said through his walkie-talkie, "Alright head towards and stay at the nearby MRAS building. We'll handle this." he said as he turned around and was about to walk away but only for him to stop once he felt a tug on his pants, the officer looked back and down to see Stella looking at him with teary eyes, "I wanna go too!"

"Sorry, kid. The park must be dangerous right now if there is indeed a fight happening over there. I can't risk it." he said until he saw Stella using the puppy dog eyes, "No. No... Miss, can you help me with-" the officer turned to Grace, looking for help but he saw that she was also using the puppy dog eyes, "F-fine! Miss, you can use your magic right?" the officer asked as she nodded, "I'll permit you to use your magic to protect the child, come on let's hurry."

Once they were near one of the entrances of the park, they immediately saw Chrome being flung away, he flipped himself and landed on all four to stop himself from skidding any further, he stopped in the middle of the side walked and growled, disappearing in front of them, "He's the friend I mentioned!" Grace immediately stated after his disappearance, "Alright, let's hurry!" the officer said as they run into the park and the officer saw from the distance a fight and rushed faster than the two girls.

"This is the police, cease fighting and hold your hands up!" the officer said and instantly more police officers showed up and completely surrounded the warriors and Chrome. They all raised their hand and instantly Chrome was tackled by Stella and Grace rushed towards them, "Great job you two." Chrome said panting, bruises clearly visible all over his body and what scared the girls the most, is that he's bleeding from his head. Once they did discover it, he passed out from exhaustion.

* * *

"Ugh..." Chrome groaned as he opened his eyes quickly, he's vision blurry, "My head..." he held his head as soon as he sat up, feeling bandages around his forehead, "Where's my glasses?" he asked to himself as he looked around the room he's in, it was a pretty barren room, the length of the room are 8 blocks, the width of the room are 6 blocks, and the height of the room are 7 blocks of stone , the rectangular room is devoid of any decorations except for a bed and a toilet on the other side of said bed, "Oh good, you're awake." Chrome heard a familiar voice and looked through the seemingly flat bars and saw his older cousin, "Silver! Where's Stella?!"

Chrome rushed the bars and held it tightly, "Oh, the kid? She's been sent back home, to her adoptive parents." Silver replied with a male and mature voice, "Dammit, Silver! Don't you know? Her parents breached the adoption contract!" Chrome said desperately, "Sorry, we didn't. Cause you were knocked unconscious, so the only ones who we can have info about is those group of warriors from the Threshold clan." Silver replied, _"That's why it took them three hard hits to the head."_

"Get her back, Silver! Please!" Chrome begged as Silver was taken aback. Silver never saw this side of him, even when his parents died, "I can't, I don't have a search warrant or an investigative warrant to go to their dojo and observe." Silver replied sighing, "Get me out, I'll do it!" Chrome suggested, "I can't." Silver replied, "What made you so fixated on that one kid?!" Silver said, "She has no parents!" Chrome answered immediately, "Every orphan has no parents, what will you do?! Adopt all of them?!"

"I will adopt all of them if I can!" Chrome said, determination glinting in his eyes, "Ugh... Fine, I'll fill in the paperwork for your release and of course pay to bail you out." Silver sighed as he disappeared from Chrome's view, _"Hold strong, Stella. I'm coming for you."_ he thought to himself as he closed his eyes and started meditating, _"I guess this is what you mean, gramps. You can't protect without hurting yourself or others..."_ he thought as he began absorbing more and more mana particles.

"I'll take your advice, for now."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Alright, that's far as I can go with my broken keyboard. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll start replying to my recent reviews.**

 **Enderscar = There were some grammatical errors and I fixed it after rereading the story. Though I do appreciate the statements.**

 **PikaBlast = I wasn't in hiatus though. Well anyways, yeah, this is my first ever story that character development is now a thing, no more being OP or too 'cool' sort of thing.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 : The Road**

"Alright, Chrome. You are good to go." Silver said as he went back to his cousin, "But don't do anything rash, alright?!" he said as a warning, "Of course, I'm not the type to cause problems willingly." Chrome answered twisted his neck left and right as he stood up, _"But you always attract problems..."_ Silver sweat dropped as he opened the cell, "Be careful out there." he added along with holding out a small slip of paper for Chrome to which he took it and looked at the contents, _"So, this is where she is."_

"Sorry about the trouble, cousin. I'll be sure to pay ya back." Chrome answered as he bowed slightly, Silver knowing why he's in a hurry, "Take care." Chrome added as he proceeds to get out of the MRAS branch station. He needs to be prepared first and thus went back to his apartment room and rushed towards the kitchenette area, "I need to eat first." Chrome took an instant-meal and heated it in the microwave, _"What's with this pain on my back?"_ he thought to himself as he tries to find answers.

The pain from his back lingers, throbbing. He felt scorching heat that if he closed his eyes, he can picture himself being roasted on a spit. The ding from the microwave snapped him from his stupor as he went to take his meal, however due to it being hot; he kept throwing his meal up and down and placed it immediately on the table (talk about playing with his food). He ignored the pain as he began eating his food; his determination pushes the irritating feeling away from his mind.

He, however, remembered something from his past, as several tick marks appeared on his forehead, _"That old geezer..."_ he said as he curled his hands into a fist, his knuckles turning white from the intensity. Just remembering the trickery his old master did to him just makes him angrier by the minute. He then inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly, uncurling his fists as he continued inhaling and exhaling. He has his priorities; he doesn't need to stray away from him just for some old man who probably cursed him.

He finished his meal and opened up the closet, knowing this himself, he took out a handkerchief and wore it to cover his mouth and nose and began rummaging through his and his parents' stuff. He found a small box with the words; 'Training' on the size, he opened it up and saw a black finger-less gloves and a white armband, "Good it's still here." he talked to himself, "Why am I talking to myself, again?" he continued as he wore the gloves and the armband currently worn on his right arm.

"Spells." Chrome stated as he closed his eyes, _"Damn it, old man. The contract you made for me expired!"_ he thought to himself, _"Is this the price for the contract?! The pain?!"_ he thought as he almost shouted it, "Bah! This won't stop me!" Chrome said as he wore a dark blue hoodie jacket and placed the hood over his head. He headed towards his apartment room's exit, locking the door once he was out and briskly walked to his destination. Magicians can 'physically' see the list of spells they learn and spells' effects on them and it can be accessed all the time by closing one's eyes and saying one single and simple word; Spells.

It goes the same when checking one's inventory, they only have to say is 'inventory' while their eyes is close and they will be given a 'physical' bar containing all of their items. They can 'touch' the 'icon' of an item and they will appear in their hands, however, armor can be worn instantly from the 'inventory bar' on a whim. Because of this simple yet complex system, the world government started research on spells that can let any type of security to check the inventory for anything dangerous.

Chrome tried his hardest ignoring the pain from his back, he had his priorities straight and he'll be damned if he can't go through his plans. However, he's noticing the pain suddenly started increasing as if reacting to his determination to get Stella back, _"I better get this checked up first. I can't fight if I'm already exhausted from the pain."_ he thought as he saw the Virtuous' Apothecary & Clinic. Once he was there, he saw the closed sign, _"Huh, it's already a weekend?"_

He thought but suddenly he saw the glass door opening up and a slender hand reached out and grabbed him by his clothes and dragged him back inside, "Chrome! Are you alright?! I heard about what happened from Grace..." he heard Dr. Faith's words as he was shoved in between her rather large chest, "You're little sister was taken away from you?!" Dr. Faith added as she pushed him a bit back but three question marks appeared over her head as she saw Chrome blushing madly, "Chrome?"

"I'm fine!" Chrome instantly stated as he quickly got out of her grasp and shook his head, "Yeah... At least... I don't have to... explain that part..." he said as he continues to endure the pain "Well any-" he was about to continue but was tackled by an unseen force and slammed his back on the wall, "Grace! You do not tackle guests!" he heard Dr. Faith exclaim until the pain from his back gotten even worst, as he started screaming, "Dr. Faith... Help!" Chrome pleaded as he started squirming with pain. Faith knew what she must do and threw a sleeping potion at Chrome, knocking him out cold.

Once he woke up, he saw that his vision was blurry and decided to rub it out. He noticed right away his glasses wasn't on his face and tried to look around and saw it on a tray, he immediately took it and blinked continuously until his blurry vision disappeared. He was on an examining table and saw that he was topless, "Where did my clothes go?" he asked to no one in particular and saw his hands, "Where's my gloves?!" he suddenly panicked as he unceremoniously stood up, with the quick action however, he lost oxygen to his brain for a second making him fall down and hold on to the table.

He made a few crashes which made Dr. Faith check up on her patient to see Chrome out and about, "Chrome, are you alright?!" she shouted making her daughter react as well, "Y-yeah, I stood up too fast." he replied as he had his back facing them which reminded Dr. Faith about his check up, "Chrome, I think it's better for you to see the results rather than telling you about it." she stated as she produces a photograph out of her coat and showed it to Chrome, "Ach!"

Chrome was shocked, "That old geezer went up and did it!" he whispered low enough not for the mother-daughter pair to hear, "What was that?" Grace asked seeing Chrome mutter something, "Nothing. So a physical contract was etched on my back... Explains that burning sensation on my back." he said, "Mom, does that mean he met a Contractor before?" Grace asked her mother as said mother nodded, "When and where did you meet a Contractor?" she asked worried that Chrome might have encountered a nasty one.

"I've met the old geezer during summer." Chrome replied as he looks at the picture of his back, now covered with black and green markings forming a rolled down scroll with ancient glyphs forming the words, "The old geezer is a decent fellow if you looked past his cheekiness and perverted behavior." he added, "I've been meaning to ask, my mother and I can't read the glyphs, so I wanted to know what it says, if it's not too much to ask about it." Grace said and at the end started connecting her index fingers together, again and again.

"If it is not much trouble for you, Chrome." Dr. Faith asked, giving into her curiosity as well, "It says 'If thou shall accept both families' blood, thou shall be adaptive and strong. One who faces trouble with no fear nor courage but with care in thy heart.' That's what it says. Doesn't sound like me, to be honest." Chrome finished as he shrugs, the mother of the mother-daughter pair had only one thought after hearing his statement, _"Definitely sounds like you."_ Faith thought as she sweat dropped.

"Can I have my clothes back, as well?" Chrome added as the mother flinched, "Oh I forgot all about your clothes! I'll be right back." Dr. Faith exclaimed as she immediately went through a doorway probably leading towards the living quarters.

Grace stayed in the room and is rather fidgety, as she had a light blush on her face, "Um... Chrome?" she started breaking the ice but no reply, "Chrome?" she said again; no response, "Chrome!" she shouted as she snapped him out of his thoughts, "W-what?! Oh... sorry, I was deep in thought." Chrome said as he scratches his right cheek, "Anyways, what can I help you with?" he got straight to the point making Grace fidget a bit more, "Well... um... I want to... ask you... something."

Chrome didn't get the last part which piqued his curiosity, "What is it?" he asked, wanting to know, "I-i-if... y-y-you're..." Grace kept stuttering and trailing off, her blush intensifying by the minute, "If I'm?" Chrome rephrased in a questioning manner, "S-s-single?!" Grace shouted to get it over with, "Huh? Oh, um... Yeah, I'm single." Chrome replied, getting over the shock, "Well... w-w-will you..." Grace was about to say until her mother showed up with Chrome's clothes.

"Here you go." Dr. Faith said handing over the well folded clothes, "Thank you!" Chrome took it swiftly and wore it as quick as possible, he gingerly took the armband and placed it on his right arm, he also saw the gloves and wore it as well, "Um, Dr. Faith here you go." Chrome said as he pulled out his wallet and took out 1 thousand gilts, "Oh, the check up is on the house." Dr. Faith said as she waved her hand dismissively, "A-are you sure?" Chrome asked, awkward about his position, "Of course I am." Dr. Faith replied immediately.

"T-thank you!" he said once more with a stiff bow, "No problem." the gesture made Dr. Faith grin, "I'll be going now!" he rushed towards the exit, leaving a satisfied mother and a peeved daughter who is currently look at her mother with a glare, "What?" the mother asked as three dots appeared over her head, one by one, "Oh... Sorry." the mother stuck her tongue out playfully with a wink but her daughter will have none of that as she looked away from her mother with a huff.

* * *

"So this is where she is?" Chrome said to himself as he looked at a traditional Japanese home, "Tch." he said as he tries to look for any sort of doorbell or door knockers, to which he found none. He walked up to the door and knocked on it a couple of times. The large doors opened and Chrome was greeted with several alarmed faces as they all took out pistols and pointed at him, he raised his hands with a serious expression on his face. With a Pull spell, he was dragged inside of the doorway as it the large doors closes.

He was then tied and beat bloody in the span of thirty seconds. Once those thirty seconds were over, he was forced to stand up and was forced to go walk on the paved path towards the house. The area around them was beautiful, the entire ground, covered with lush green grass and small blocky trees surrounded with pebbles can be seen in random order, "You got a lot of guts to go here, punk!" one of the guards of the residence said as he shoves Chrome to make him move faster.

Chrome stumbled but did not fall as he kept upright and walk until they stopped in front of a sliding paper door, "Boss, we have somebody you should meet." one of the grunts said as he heard a familiar voice, "Who is it?" Chrome's eyes widen, albeit the only eye he can widen is his left eye, "You know the boss doesn't like... Chrome?!" the paper door slides open to see a teenager of the same age as him, however, he has far more sharper and 'whiter' features, "What happened to you?!"

"You know him?" one of the grunts said, "What. Did. You. Do. To. Him?!" Chrome heard the menacing tone which he remembers all too well, "He's the bastard that beaten our asses except for captain!" the grunt replied, "R-really? W-what did you all try to do to get him to swing at you all?" Chrome heard him say once more, "You know what? You should go and report about it to the boss, while I take care of our 'guest' here." he heard once more with the implication about him being a bit more venomous than the rest.

"R-right!" he heard the grunt as he shuffled through the paper door as fast as possible, "Come here, buddy. We need to get you patched up." he then felt hands carrying him and he was placed on their shoulders, "I... Didn't know... You were with... The Threshold clan, Ivor." Chrome said in a tired voice, "Last time I checked... You didn't like getting hit." he added once more producing a chuckle from Ivor, "Well, I'm not as fast as you so I wouldn't be able to keep on dodging, so instead, I should practice on blocking."

Ivor replied as he began patching Chrome up with bandages and disinfectants, Ivor knew that Chrome isn't a chatty fellow, a guy of few words when not provoked, "What... Made you fight them?" Ivor asked as curiosity is currently eating him up, "I was... Protecting a child, whom I want to take back from... your boss." he answered prompting Ivor to stop wrapping a bandage around his arm, "I guess... You'd be involved sooner or later... With the way my boss trains others, children or grown-ups alike."

"Sadly, with the way things are... The boss... isn't willing to give up the kid..." Ivor trailed off, Chrome noticed the unusual behavior, "What's the problem?" he asked as he saw Ivor sighing, "Well..." Ivor rubbed the back of his neck, "The clan is currently against a war with another. Though this war on its own isn't threatening to others but, it does threaten this clan in particular." Ivor explained as Chrome remembers about it, "Hey... Is it about that one particular 'game show' where two or more contestants races to the finish?"

"Yeah..." Ivor said as he sighed, "Since the Clan peace treaty has been established, it's the only way other clans can show their superiority." he added as Chrome hummed in understanding, "The boss wants to see his guest now." a grunt walked towards them as Ivor nodded, "Alright, let me escort you to the boss." Ivor said as he carries Chrome once more, however the latter isn't too happy being carried but didn't want to squirm around, so he settled with an annoyed look.

"Boss, here's your guest." Ivor said as he dropped Chrome down, unceremoniously, to which he rubbed his backside, "Ah, you're that infamous kid, who managed to beat up the trainees all by himself." Chrome heard over his pain as he used his available eye to look at the boss, "What do I owe, the displeasure of you visiting?" he said staring at Chrome with a mix of anger and annoyance, "I have a proposition for you." Chrome said in a business like tone, "Hm? Go on, you got my full interest."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Third Season of Blood and Magic! The show where rising magicians show what they are made off in a fight against each other to the finish line! I am your commentator Hickory Smith and joining me today is the legendary fighter; Steven Powers, say hi to everybody watching." Hickory said to Steven, "Hello everybody!" he greeted with a charming smile, "Alright, today on the blue side, we have a magician of the Spear Clan, his very name makes every tank magicians quiver... Joe 'The Spear' Diamonds!"

Joe has a brown hair with cyan accents, blue eyes, and a smug grin. He's clothing comprises of a white tank top to match his skin color, dark brown cargo pants, and dark brown shoes.

"And on the green side, a new and young contender has joined the fray! Chrome L. Donovan!" Hickory announced as Chrome was stretching his legs who was wearing the same attire when he 'visited' the Threshold Clan, the hood on his head covering the majority of his face, "Tell us, Steven, you are a legendary fighter and that you researched about anybody who has fighting capabilities... Can you tell us about this new contender?" Hickory started as Steven smiled and scratched the side of his cheeks, sweat drops accompanying him, "He is a complete mystery for me... I've tried to gather all of the sources available here in the west... to find none."

"Wha~t?! Does that mean he's a dark horse of this generation?!" Hickory said pumped with excitement, to the point that hot air is expelling out of his nose every time he exhales, "I'm ashamed to say but... Yes, he's a dark horse, however, that doesn't mean a thing if he's just weak." Steven said as Hickory calmed down and rubbed the back of his head, "Hahaha, guess you're right. Without any further delays! Let me explain!"

"We are in the High Tower map! A map constructed to look like a collapsing castle tower! The finish line is at the very top of the tower, and to get up there... The 'falling debris' acts as platforms to get up, so contestants must parkour their way up. However, TNT blocks will occasionally drop from the higher floors and hinder the contestants' climb to the top. Banned magic is Flying and Teleporting and banned items are Ender Pearls and Enchanted Golden Apples as per the usual."

"Lethally harming other contestants is also banned and if it does happen, the culprit shall be expulsed violently out of the map and into the Nether." Hickory added with lots of distaste in his tone, "Anyways, in 3... 2... 1... Fight!"

* * *

 _"Wait... What?! Fight?!"_ Chrome exclaimed in his head, he then felt his senses telling him danger and so he jumped to his right, avoiding a javelin to the face, he also noticed that it's attached to a small but sturdy chain, "You managed to dodge that even when distracted? Very nice reflexes you have there." Chrome looked at the source of the chain to see his contender, "And you were sent here by the Threshold clan..." Joe said bursting into laughter, "Are they really that desperate?!"

"They should just let their fame die slowly and... What?!" Joe said as he noticed that Chrome was no longer in front of him, "What the hell! Let somebody finish when they are talking to you!" Joe shouted at Chrome with his eyes popping out in a comical fashion, however, Chrome continued forth and kept jumping higher and higher thanks to the blocks, "That's it!"

 _"Huh, I can't hear him talking anymore..."_ Chrome thought as he decided to look however, he didn't get the chance as a javelin was almost inches towards his face, instincts kicked it as he grabbed the javelin behind it's sharp end and with forward momentum used it to his advantage and swung the javelin in a suplex-ish way causing the javelin to back down really fast, however, Chrome did notice the chain, _"Oh no."_ and with that final thought Joe finally appeared and was about to bump into Chrome, _"THIS'LL EVEN THE PLAYING FIELD!"_

 _"Huh?!"_ Joe didn't felt any contact whatsoever, _"I was supposed to hit him!"_ he thought but then in a slight glimpse, saw that Chrome is on the next platform, "That's cheating!" Joe shouted in outrage as he continued to fall.

* * *

"What was that?! Chrome disappeared and reappeared from point A to B! Did he cheat and used teleportation?!" Hickory stated in disgust, "From normal eyes, indeed he looked like he teleported but, the security system didn't sound off, and from my eyes, I saw he was a blur when he went to the next platform." Steven answered, "WOW! A NEW SPELL?!" Hickory said in absolutely excitement as Steven got a call and answered it, "Huh?" Hickory looked towards his partner and saw that ever so charming smile once more.

The phone call ended as Steven's smile widens with excitement, "I finally have some info about our dark horse. He is an inactive magician." Steven said, "Can you explain what an inactive magician is to our younger audiences, "Inactive magicians are very rare, they contradict the Theory of Mana Particle Cycle, which is to say, they can't use spells to attack but they can use spells to enhance their attacks..." Steven looked at Hickory and saw that it was confusing even more him.

"Let's say that they can't throw a fireball but they can set their hands on fire." he explained as Hickory nodded in understanding, "Interesting enough, one of my informants from the Far East said that Chrome has defeated the Mountain King... I do not have any information about the beast but my informant said it's a legendary monster. I will have to ask her more about it." Hickory stated, "Whoa! That sounds absolutely fantastic!"

* * *

"Fight me like a man!" Joe said as he wildly throws javelins at Chrome, who seem to be dodging them without even looking, "I'm sorry but I'm doing what we're supposed to do!" Chrome shouted back, "I'm done done with y-Agghhh!" Joe screamed in pain at the end when a TNT block detonated on him in mid-air, he went flying towards a platform and crashed there, however, with his momentum he slid off it and began to fall, unconscious, _"Oh crap! At this height and with his defenses, he'll surely die!"_

Chrome then stopped dead on his tracks and placed himself on the edge of the current platform he is on. He then made himself fall with a small twist of his body, he began falling down really fast thanks to the spinning. He then tried to stop spinning by no longer going in a dive bomb position and instead stretched his arms and legs wide to increase drag. Once that was accomplished he was already in arms reach with Joe, "Alright, buddy. Just give me your pointy stick and..." Chrome said as he tries to get the javelin with the chain attached to it.

Once he got it, he quickly tried to look for a suitable target, another platform. He threw at the nearest platform, the javelin stuck to the platform and he used it to swing to a safer platform, however before he could even swing to safety, they were struck with another TNT block, causing the chain to break. They began falling with momentum, heading closer to the wall, _"Sweet!"_ Chrome saw it and held out his left hand and his legs, trying to keep Joe on his shoulders but the impact was a bit too strong than he had expected.

The impact made Chrome flinch and caused him to bounce himself off the wall, however with their situation it is an unfortunate circumstance as a TNT block appeared in front of them, blowing up and causing Chrome and Joe to fly back towards the wall. They smacked against the wall, however, it seems Joe's buttocks cushioned the left side of Chrome, and fortunate for the later his glasses are made of very strong materials so it didn't break even if the right side of his face smacked against the wall.

The unfortunate thing about the situation is the result of the collision, _"N-no! I refuse to give up!"_ Chrome thought trying his hard to shrug of the effects of the impact, "Raaagghhh!" he then began shouting as his entire body tensed and suddenly, black and green tribal markings appeared on his face, slithering down to both of his arms. With sheer willpower and determination, he forced the vertigo away and used strike the wall, his crystalline fingers digging into the wall causing a slashed impression trailing down on the wall.

Once they have stopped skidding down the wall, Chrome made use of the given breathing space and rested while looking for a nearby platform. He found one slightly to his right and tried his best to throw Joe on it, luckily he did land on it, _"Crap..."_ he felt that his newfound spell is no longer active and began falling down, two seconds after he began falling, a strand of chain shot at him, precisely thrown to tie up his ankles, Chrome looked up to see Joe holding on to the end of the chain.

"Heh." Chrome gave a short chuckle as he was pulled back up.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Well, that's the end of the chapter, I do hope you all enjoyed it. Also I have some news for you guys and gals! Xanderush305 and I began talking about creating a collaborative story between him and I, it's about an anime that we both enjoyed fully and we both even planned how both of our OCs can be 'natural' in the anime's world. Oh and also, do not forget to give a review on what you think about this story in general.**

 **Because if you don't know, it'll mean a lot to me, naughty or nice reviews are all appreciated. Well that's all I have, I hope you all have a pleasant Day/Night!**


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